On 18 December, the first symposium on e-Refinery in which sustainable electricity forms the basis for a decarbonized economy, was held at TU Delft, organized in collaboration with VoltaChem. Approximately 170 researchers, representatives of companies, and other interested parties were present in Delft to discuss the challenges and ideas about accelerating technical breakthroughs in e-refinery, the electrocatalytic production of base chemicals and fuels. In the laboratory, the individual steps of the e-Refinery are already possible. You can convert water into hydrogen on an industrial scale, with the help of electric current: oxygen is produced on one electrode, on the other hydrogen, used as fuel and raw material. But further steps are needed, such as the conversion of carbon dioxide into fuels and other organic chemical feedstock. Or, for example, coupling hydrogen with nitrogen to form ammonia. However, the Technology Readiness Levels for industrial applications of these processes are still far too low. With 2050 in mind, the key question is how do we bring these processes - as quickly as possible - to practice?

e-Refinery

There is no silver bullet! Many roads have to be followed for the energy transition: there is not a single, simple solution.” According to one the speakers at the e-Refinery symposium on 18 December at Delft University of Technology.

There is, however, with e-Refinery an overarching vision on the future of sustainable chemicals and fuels; the transition of the chemical and energy sectors from fossil fuels to renewable feedstock and electricity, the latter preferably from renewable sources such as wind and solar power. This will form the basis of an extensive network of chemical and energy conversions; although it’s not yet exactly clear what it will look like in detail.

Under the chairmanship of Delft chemist Bernard Dam, approximately one hundred seventy researchers, representatives of companies, and other interested parties were present in Delft to discuss the scientific challenges of this development. ​

Technology Readiness Level (TRL)

Scientists have already shown that the individual steps of an e-Refinery are possible. By using electrolysis you can turn water into hydrogen on an industrial scale: one electrode produces oxygen and the other hydrogen, useable as fuel or as a chemical feedstock.

But further steps are needed, such as the conversion of carbon dioxide into fuels and other organic chemical feedstock. Or, for example, coupling (linking?) hydrogen with nitrogen to form ammonia. Many of these processes are technically possible, but the Technology Readiness Levels are still too low for industrial application and there are still fundamental research questions. So how do we accelerate these technologies to practice?

Contact

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Marvin Wörner is a certified mechatronics engineer and has completed training to become an industrial business administrator. He understands the technology and knows the customers’ quality expectations with regard to a lift system from LUTZ Elevators. Finding the optimal solution for a project is always his key focus. He not only has extensive expertise and skills but also acts as an interface between the suppliers and the individual competence centres within the LUTZ Group.

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